Sunday, June 30, 2019

Beaucanon Trifecta Napa Valley Red Blend

Beaucanon Estate Louis de Coninck Trifecta Napa Valley Red Blend

I stopped in Ambassador Wines in NYC on Second Avenue at 54th and met owner Louis Phillips.

For a special dinner I picked up this Napa Valley Bordeaux Red Blend from Beaucanon Estate by winemaker Louis de Coninck, Trifecta is a blend compiled of four estate grown Bordeaux varietals.

The Beaucanon Estate Longwood Ranch sits at the south eastern corner of the Oak Knoll AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Napa Valley where it meets the Atlas Peak AVA in southeastern Napa Valley.  

The original historic property dates back to the origins of Napa Valley, part of the Yajome land Grant that belonged to Captain Salvador Vallejo, brother of General Mariano Vallejo, founder of Sonoma and military commander and director of colonization on the northern frontier. The Grant covered over 6000 acres and was first given to Damaso Rodriquez, a retired ensign from the first Calvary division of the Company of San Francisco which petitioned the Mexican government in 1838.

It was back around 1860 when the Longwood name was first associated with the site known for the long row of old-growth oaks that still boarder Milliken Creek flowing through property down at the bottom of Silverado Trail. Later in 1912 Longwood was know for ample prune orchards and a 60 acres market owned by a prosperous dairyman name William Watt, ancestor to Kathryn Hall of Hall Wines in Rutherford and St Helena who produce a line of Walt Wines in his honor. 

The first winery was built in 1987 just outside of St. Helena. an impressive facility where they produce almost 30,000 cases of wine annually. After seven years at this facility, Louis de Coninck transitioned to the Longwood Ranch vineyard. There, a historic barn has been outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment where they produce only 12,000 cases annually of carefully crafted wine. 

Beaucanon Estate wines reflects the terrior of the soil type known as alluvium fan which exhibits gravely deposits, clay and silt that encourages the vines to grow deep strong root structures.  Deeply rooted vines produce high quality concentrated fruit for Beaucanon Estate select winemaker signature wines.

Louis de Coninck, the winemaker, carries on the wine making history of the family, 9 generations of wine merchants originally from the right bank in Bordeaux that can be traced back to 1740. Trained from age 18 in Saint Emilion, he joined his father Jacques in Napa Valley.  His crafts wines that reflect the terrior of Napa Valley, displaying finesse, complexity, structure, mouth-feel and the bright expressive flavors of Napa Valley fruit.  Like all great winemakers, Louis excels at highlighting the natural characteristics of perfectly ripe fruit and the distinctive "terroir" of the vineyard sites.

Beaucanon Estate Louis de Conick, Trifecta Napa Valley Red Blend 2013

Dark inky blackish garnet colored, full bodied, tight, concentrated dark dense flavors of blackberry and black currant fruits accented by a layer of black tea, notes of creosote, cassis and licorice  with hints of smoke with a lingering moderate tannin finish.

This is a blend of the Bordeaux varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. This composition results in the concentrated dense firm inky structured wine. Cabernet Sauvignon provides firm and structured backbone, Cabernet Franc highlights of spice, Petit Verdot dark color and firm dense structure, and Malbec contribute to the dark inky dark color and robust tannins. 

Conspicuously missing in the blend is Merlot, the most common Bordeaux varietal, which is typically used to  provide softness in the blend when compared with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be firmer and higher in tannin. The result is a firmly structured  'tight' wine.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2843902

http://www.beaucanonestate.com/trifecta.html

Ambassador Wines @AmbassadorNY